A Friend of A Friend
by KatieClay
Summary: A blast from the past causes Carol to take a break, while Joe makes a drunken mistake that jeopardizes their relationship, and threatens to break his friendship and trust amongst the villagers. Can he redeem himself or has Carol finally had enough?
1. Night Call

**A/N: Ok...so here goes! A new story at last. As per popular request, I've decided to write a sequel to 'How Do We Fix This?', which should be a little interesting...So here goes, chapter 1...x**

Aidensfield looked so peaceful at 5:30 in the morning. No-one, save Joe and the milkman were up at this hour, and Joe was mere coincidence. In fact, as he watched from the window of the flat as Henry Jefferson unloaded his cart, he felt slightly intrusive, like his watchful presence was somehow disturbing the regular morning events.

Joe watched Henry drop the milk off at his own front door across the street. It seemed a bit wasteful really. He never ate there any more. All he did was bring it over here from the Police House and stick it in the fridge, should they need it during the day. Still, it was part of the routine now. No point changing the routine.

The summer sun had just about risen. It was going to be a warm day, he could tell. He closed his eyes and leant back against the window frame. Ah, he loved summer.

A shattering ringing disturbed his peaceful thoughts. Without thinking he launched for the phone, desperate not to wake the sleeping figure in the bedroom.

"Hello?"

"PC Mason?"

_Bloody Hell. 5:30 A.M. Carol's house. It was Sergeant Bloody Miller. Great_.

"Sergeant?"

"I see that Wetherby has passed the message on?"

"Sorry sergeant?"

"The message. I assume that's why you're in Nurse Cassidy's house at this time in the morning?"

_Wow. That was a relief. Play along Joe, play along. Innocence is bliss._

"Oh yes…sergeant….that's why."

"Then I needn't bother you further."

"No wait…Sergeant! I think she'd better here it from you….I haven't….filled her in…with the details yet."

"Pass me on."

_Bloody Hell. _

"Urm…one minute sergeant she's in the…bathroom. I'll go and…fetch her."

He peeked across at the bedroom where Carol lay flat out on the bed, snoring. He lay the phone gently onto he table and rushed to her side.

"Carol! Carol!" He prodded her. "Carol get up! CAROL!"

"What time is it?"

"5:30. Miller's on the phone!"

"You picked up the bloody phone! What did we say about night calls!" Now she was awake.

"It's OK. He thought I came to wake you this morning when I found out what was going on. Truthfully, I have no idea what he wants."

She sat up and proceeded to shuffle across the floor. Her morning face was hardly one of kindness and obligation to nursing duty.

_Miller sure as hell must have a good reason for calling at this time and Joe better have a damn good reason for picking up the phone._


	2. Crime Scene

**A/N - Finally, Chapter 2. (I'm also just about to post chapters 3 - 4 :) Enjoy.**

There was something about crime scenes. Deaths were the worst. There was something almost incomprehensible about the way everyone dealt with the scene laid out before them.

Sergeant Miller had folded in on himself; Carol could see that. He was busying himself, talking with officers, surveying the scene. Right now he was a policeman, nothing else. Not a husband, not a father, not a friend.

Geoff wasn't sure where to look. That's the thing with a death, there's nowhere to look. He studied a cupboard, even though there was nothing to look at, before choosing to shadow his Sergeant around the room.

Carol wasn't sure what to feel. Emotions ran through her system, but choosing the correct one was more than difficult. She stood with her arms folded, the only person in the room looking at the body. She wasn't afraid of death like the others. She'd seen it all too often for her to feel awkward. Still, choosing the right emotion was difficult. It was strange, but she felt guilty, guilty about not feeling sad about the death of a woman she'd never even met. Still, she felt fragile.

Joe was doing his usual thing. He was acting like it was any other crime scene, and to be frank, that kind of annoyed her. It annoyed her that all she could think about right now was how much she had enjoyed the night before. It annoyed her that Joe was feeling the same, and yet doing nothing to conceal it. She felt guilty as hell, and that, more than anything else, annoyed her.

Joe came and stood beside her in an overly casual way.

"The coroner will be here soon."

"OK."

They stood in silence for a few moments. Carol liked it that way. There was nothing to say. Joe, however, felt uncomfortable. He longed for something to break the awkwardness of the moment.

"So….you fancy coming for a drink tonight?"

_Carol didn't know what to say. She was angry now, no longer annoyed. It was so inappropriate. He was asking her out next to a corpse. There was something about it that made her physically sick, and more than anything angry. Crimson coloring flushed to her cheeks. She was embarrassed, flummoxed and all she wanted to do was walk away._

"Nurse Cassidy." In her turmoil, Carol had failed to notice the arrival of Sergeant Miller at her side. Joe slithered away, leaving them to their private conversation.

"This is Mike Bradley from CID. He'd like to ask you a few questions, if that's OK."

Carol turned to face the figure at the side of Miller.

"Mike?"

"Carol?"


	3. Friends Past and Friends Present

The surgery was too empty for Carol's liking. Usually, after a morning like this, she would have busied herself with her patients, but the current spell of good health in Aidensfield had made her restless. She opened and closed drawers, for no particular reason other than to keep herself busy.

It had been an hour since Mike had accompanied her back to the surgery, gathering the few files that he needed for the case. She'd still been angry at Joe, and to be frank had found it difficult to answer the bombardment of questions he was throwing her way.

They'd talked for a bit afterwards, not that there was much to say. They'd met before at Phil and Gina's wedding. He asked if she remembered being sandwiched between him and Rob at the dining table, she'd laughed. Before he left to go back to the station, he'd asked her out for a drink. She'd said no, of course.

_It was that that she was thinking about right now. Sure, she'd been mad as hell at Joe from that morning, but would have saying yes been such a bad idea…?_

Suddenly, she felt two hands on her waist from behind. She spun around, alarmed, to find Joe, smiling down at her.

_Great._

"Hello, Miss Cassidy. I wondered if you fancied a drink with me this evening."

_Two in one night. Can't be bad._

She clasped his hands in her own, and removed them from her waist.

"Not tonight Joe. I don't really feel like it."

"Are you sure I can't tempt you with my Scottish charm?"

"Really Joe, just leave it."

He took a few steps back and studied her unsmiling face.

"Carol? You seem…angry."

"Do you realize what you did this morning?"

"No…"

"Joe, you asked me out at a crime scene."

_He was confused. He hardly remembered what he'd said that morning, but he'd recognized the anger in her face moments after he'd spoken. _

"I…"

"No Joe, no excuses. I can't do this anymore. I can't pretend that everything's OK, that you can say what you like to me, when you feel like it. You never know when I'm upset, what I'm feeling. I'm sorry, Joe. I need some space to think, some space to breath, and this….it's just not what I need right….now."

He paused.

"Carol…"

But it was too late, she was gone.

Adrenaline filled him inside, and then it was gone, and he felt empty. He stood, staring at the place where she had been stood, letting his mind figure out what to feel.

_He felt….angry. Angry at Carol, angry at himself. How could he have been so stupid? How can she have been so callous? It was a mistake, that was all! She was always making mistakes, making him feel like this, and yet she never apologized, he never lost his temper. She was always doing this. Disagreements about work, Rachel, and now this! _

He began to angrily change his clothes as he the stormed around his bedroom upstairs. Wardrobe doors slammed open as his anger towards Carol built. He tugged on a shirt that she detested, he made sure he combed his hair into a parting – he knew that really got to her.

_What the hell had she been thinking? That she could treat him like this all the time. That she could decide the rules. Not telling Miller about their relationship, blaming him for picking up the phone this morning. He was glad it was over. _

He pulled his jacket from the coat-stand and slammed the door on his way out. His footsteps slammed against the pavement, and his warm face glowed in the cool evening air. The walk to the pub took him half as much time as normal, absorbed by thoughts of Carol, and he felt surprised as he found himself stood in the bar at the Aidensfield Arms.

He felt suddenly conscious that he was scowling. Gina smiled at him, and he forced a smile back.

"Joe?"

"Yeah?"

"What's up?"

"Hmmm….Nothing."

"I can tell."

"Really?"

"Yeah….Carol was just in here. She had the same angry expression on her face."

"Oh."

"You look like you could do with a drink."

The Aidensfield Arms was suddenly the last place Joe wanted to be. He began to realize that a pint in the pub was not going to take this all away.

"I'm good. Thanks, Gina."

"OK, maybe you could do with more than a drink. Look I'm just about finished here, Oscar's given me the night off. Do you fancy going into Whitby? A friend of mine's just opened a club down there – could be a laugh?"

_He contemplated it. Clubs weren't really his thing, but perhaps a bit of dancing, a few drinks….._

"You know what Gina? I'm going to say yes."

"Brilliant. Just one thing, Joe."

"What?"

"Sort your hair out first."

He blushed and tussled his hair back to it's usual state of disarray.

"Better?"

"Perfect."


	4. Drunken Mistakes

**A/N - I enjoyed writing this chapter so much that I wrote it first :) **

The dazzling neon lighting bounced from her coloured skirt as she twisted across the dance floor. His head wobbled slightly, as his eyes followed her across the room. The world seemed so great. Life was so amazing!

_When did she get this beautiful? How come he'd never seen her this way before, sparkling, shining, looking so wonderful. That top she was wearing, he'd seen it a million times before, but tonight it looked a million times better. He drained his pint glass and smiled at her across the floor. _

Before he knew it he was dancing, swinging her around the floor like he was 19 again. The tunes that were playing, they didn't recognize, but it didn't matter, they were singing the words all the same. She was laughing, as he lifted her up and spun her around, and it was wonderful, magical even. Her hair felt so soft as it fell over his cheek. He pressed her into his body, and buried his face into her shoulder, and despite her boots knocking against his shins as he spun, it was wonderful.

_He'd never had this much to drink before, but hell, he'd never felt this good before. The world was a dream, Gina, well she was the most amazing woman on the earth. He felt great, absolutely fantastic, more that that fantastitobiobitastic…was that a word? Ah well…what if it wasn't? It was now. _

Despite being highly under the influence, Joe was remarkably calm in appearance. His actions, however over-enthusiastic, were neither offensive, nor loud, simply different from his usual personality; Gina hardly noticed a difference.

Without warning the music stopped, someone called time, and the club began to clear. Gina shrugged at Joe as he placed her back onto the ground with a thud.

"I guess that means it's time to go?"

"I guess so…"

They both laughed, even though there was nothing to laugh at. They ran to the entrance of the club, even though there was nothing to run for. They got a taxi, despite the fact there was a bus waiting in the stand.

The cab was dark, and so Joe looked out of the window and wondered at the passing shops, followed by passing houses, followed by passing fields. Gina looked at Joe, lost in the world outside.

_Why had she never felt this way about him before? He was so…handsome. His accent was so…Scottish. His clothes were so…ok, so his dressing needed a little attention. He was so thoughtful, so much fun, so much of what she needed right now. _

The pub was in darkness when they arrived, Oscar abandoning waiting up a few hours ago. The moonlight was enough to guide them both to the front door. Gina fumbled in her pockets for the key and stuck it carelessly into the door. Joe placed his hands in his pocket in an awkward manner, waiting for her to turn around again.

At the door, Gina took a breath in and spun around.

"Thanks for tonight, Joe. I haven't had that much fun since, well, since Phil was around. I didn't think it was possible…to feel that way, when I've felt so…low. And so all I wanted to say was thank you…really…."

"You're welcome. Must say I've had a pretty wild time too, considering…"

They paused for a moment, the conversation falling on silent ground. The clichéd moment didn't fall unnoticed, but was ignored by both parties.

"Well then….I'd better be off then. Crimes to fight tomorrow…."

Joe stepped up onto the bottom step, and kissed Gina on the cheek. He was conscious that he'd lingered around her face a little more than was entirely necessary.

"Bye then"

Gina kissed him back on the alternate cheek. She too was conscious of the inappropriateness of her actions, but something was preventing her from stopping. She looked up and caught Joe's eye. He stopped.

For a moment the world stood still. Without warning they were kissing. Lips clashed with other lips, and hands fussed in each other's hair. He was pressing her against the doorway as she dragged him closer to her.

Hell she was a good – kisser. He'd never felt this good before. She was equally as satisfied. They broke apart.

"Upstairs?" He nodded.

Once inside the bedroom there was no stopping the heat of the moment. Clothes flew across the room in a passionate way. A shoe was flung as they fell onto the bed, smashing a bottle of perfume on the dressing table that was in it's path.

Joe, one shoe on, one shoe off, fumbled with his jacket and tossed it to the floor, before they resumed their embrace. A dazzling light forced them to jump apart and sit at opposite ends of the bed.

A tired and weary Oscar stood in the doorway with a bemused expression on his face.

"Gina?"

"Oscar?"

"Joe?"

"Oscar."

Thankfully, the room remained in a decent state of dress for the tension to be as bearable as humanly possible.

"I heard something smash. I thought we had a burglar. I'm sorry I'll leave you two alone." Oscar closed the door silently and quickly as he left.

Joe and Gina sat up on the bed, and laughed nervously to each other, the awkwardness and the stupidity of the situation hitting them both at the same time.

"I guess I should go." He got up to move, but Gina took his hand and held it lovingly in her own.

"This is not what love is about, Joe. We're drunk, you know it, I know it. It's a blessing he came in at all. These feelings we have now will have gone by tomorrow. Don't let us ruin what we have as friends, ruin everything we have with everyone else for the sake of a drunken night of meaningless…."

"I know. I'm sorry. You're right. We should stop. This isn't what it's supposed to be like." He smiled at her. "Friends?"

"Friends." She smiled back. He got up to leave, jacket in hand. "Oh and Joe?"

"Hmm?"

"Tell Carol how you feel."

"How's that?"

"You know."


	5. A Split Decision

Carol was fidgeting. She sat down on the sofa, picked up a book, read two lines, closed it. Whatever she did, however she sat, wherever she looked, she couldn't rid herself of the feelings in her mind. She wandered over to the window, stared out across the street at the darkened police house. It had been an hour since she'd skulked into the pub, downed a gin and tonic, before hastily making a retreat back to her flat. It had been 15 minutes since she'd seen Joe arm-in-arm with Gina, lurking at the bus stop, destined for hell knew where.

_Gina? Of all people Gina. She figured she would have probably felt better if his rebound had been Rachel Dawson. At least there was history there. At least she already knew how to hate that woman...but Gina? She was struggling to hate her best friend..._

Sure, it could be nothing, an innocent trip into town - but she knew the complexities of Joe too well for that. No, she'd seen that flirtatious smile before, that awkward glance, the way he thrust his hands into his pockets like a school boy, the way he let her onto the bus before him, and chivalrously tried to pay her fare. The more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself she was right, the more and more 'Gina and Joe' became an established couple in her mind.

Now she couldn't concentrate, the thoughts had become too much of a fixation. In the space of 15 minutes, what had started off as photograph in her mind of the pair having a bit of a flirt at the bar, had turned into a full-scale animation of them love-making back at the Police House. She couldn't focus, she couldn't concentrate and now she was fidgeting.

Eventually she could take it no longer. Resolving that her relationship with Joe was finally at an end, rather than in the hiatus that seemed to hang over them every time they quarrelled, Carol asserted herself as a strong, young and free woman. And with that thought in mind, she squared her shoulders, took the phone and dialled...

"Mike Bradley."

"Oh...hi...Mike. It's Carol."

"Hey there!"

"Do you still...fancy that drink?" Carol twirled the phone wire with her fingers, and swayed girlishly as she spoke. She was conscious of her wasted movements, but convinced that her actions conveyed through her tone, she continued to flirt to the empty room.

"Yeah, sure. Tonight? I mean, I'm free if you are?"

"I'm free as a bird..."

"Great. See you in an hour?"

"See you then."

And then he was gone, and the silence returned. And the thoughts recommenced. But in one hour, the relief would return, and Mike would be here, and Joe would be as far from her mind as she could possibly hope.


End file.
